1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is related to sheet metal cutting tools, more specifically to hand-held punching and slot cutting tools.
2. Description of Related Art
Various tools have been developed in the sheet metal working art for punching holes in, or for cutting sheet metal, either by machine or by hand. One of the hand-held tools known in the art for cutting the lighter gauges of sheet metal is a scissors-type tool commonly referred to as "tin snips". Tin snips perform their intended function very efficiently, however their use is somewhat limited in that they cannot be used by themselves to make cuts which would be made entirely within the boundaries of the sheet to be cut. Cuts using tin snips must start at an edge of the sheet, as the tin snips are not usually capable of making an initial penetration into the sheet.
There are other sheet metal cutters known in the art which use the same general principle as the present invention, that is, providing a cutting blade and propelling it through the sheet metal by some sort of impact means. One popular means for providing impact is through a pneumatic compressed air system, which is cumbersome and expensive to use. Other hand held tools, relying on impact provided by a hammer or other similar tool are also known. These tools have generally been designed for specific purposes, such as making relatively ornate cuts in the sheet metal. The tools are thus not always suitable for other applications, can be cumbersome to use, and are likely to be relatively expensive compared to everyday hand tools such as hammers and the like.